The Voluntary One
by Anifan1
Summary: (edited through chapter 8) The Yeerks are real, but the invasion is not what people have been led to believe from the books. In fact, Yeerks are humanity's only hope for survival.
1. The Search

Disclaimer:  
I do not own Animorphs and am not making any money off of this fanfic. 

I do, however, own Amy, Jennifer, Rob, and any other character that is new. If you would like to use them, please email me for permission.   
(I'll probably say yes, as long as you let me know when the story's up! :-)

Thanks to Madra, GSfreak86, Rachel, and everyone else who read the story so far and sent feedback. 

I would especially like to thank Arin and Ruby who read the story and helped me to improve it. :-)

Anyway, onto the story. :-D

My name is Amy. I'm a sixteen year old voluntary host. Unlike most voluntary hosts, I actually _tried_ to find The Sharing, which they now call Fun for Family. I have a brother with this strange ability to read codes, a normal mom, and a dad who's too insane to be considered normal.

I swear, he's like the kid from school who thinks he's funny, but has an annoying name and terrible habits that make the kids want to beat him up.

Maybe he was that kind of kid when he was growing up, and never quite got over it.

Some of my friends who know about the Yeerks ask if Dad's a Controller. I respond to that by saying that if there was a Yeerk in his head, he'd behave at least slightly normal.

You're probably wondering why I'm a voluntary Controller, since Yeerks are parasitic body snatchers who prey on other organisms and use them for their own evil means.

Of course, if you think the last part of the sentence, you've obviously fallen victim to Andalite (and Animorph) propaganda. Because most Yeerks are actually pretty decent creatures. They do not have a murderous or evil instinct, and they are usually pretty pleasant towards their host.

Except for Visser 3, I don't know of any Yeerk who actually _enjoys_ hearing the screams of an involuntary host. Most Yeerks are willing to compromise control and limit their searching of the host's mind if it means that some kind of partnership can be formed.

Of course, when you only hear about a race from the point of view of its enemies, or the leaders who do exhibit manifestations of the "evil race" that they are supposed to be, it's hard not to believe the propaganda.

Besides, part of what happened to me was luck. I know that I got one of the nicer Yeerks, and if I had gotten someone like Visser 3, I wouldn't be defending the Yeerks.

Still, about 9 out of every 10 are generally decent creatures. I know; I've met them and I've heard stories about them. Yes, you'll find that one who tortures their host for their own sadistic pleasure, but he's a rare one. Of the ones who don't get along with their hosts, what usually happens is the host is either taunted or ignored. The host fights, and generally loses the battle. Then, the host will become one of the creatures at the Yeerk pool who screams or just sits blankly.

I have to wonder how many of these screamers are doing it for real and aren't just doing it so that they will fit in at the pool. Or, even, to protect their Yeerk from suspicion.

Even the hosts who belong to that one tenth of the Yeerk population don't usually stay with one Yeerk for very long. They'll usually be reassigned to a more sympathetic Yeerk.

And what happens when a nice Yeerk gets promoted? Well, forming a friendship with your host is frowned upon by the empire, but it's not exactly a capital offense. Still, many Yeerks try to make sure that their host will be placed with someone who they know and trust.

It's only when Yeerks like Aftran 942 come along and insist on leaving their host and letting the host go free that people get suspicious.

You're probably wondering how a sixteen year old girl can be a fan of a children's series. Well, I know that when you write stuff down, people assume it takes place the day that they read it. So, right now, it's February of 2001. Book 50 has just come out. I became a fan when book 6 came out, which was about five years ago. I was eleven years old.

My mom had bought me the first four books as a birthday gift. I had never even heard of the series before, but she thought that the covers looked interesting.

They were pretty good…nothing exceptional, but mildly interesting. They entertained me enough that I began to use part of my allowance to buy the books a few weeks after they came into the bookstores. (I was not one of _those_ people who would check to see what day the newest book would be released and then force my poor parents to drive me to the bookstore the second that it opened.) My dad would joke that I was reading up on how to become an animal. I think he got his Animorphs and Harry Potter mixed up.

I found my brother, Rob, reading the first book one day when I was looking for my Spanish textbook. Rob's four years younger than I am, but a pretty decent reader. He must have understood enough to get the basic plot, because my other Animorph books began to disappear and reappear on my bookshelf at random.

We never actually discussed the books or anything, but, at one point, I did ask him to pay for half the price of each book, since we were both reading them. Mom took my side on the issue, but said that since Rob's allowance was only a dollar a week, it wouldn't be fair to make him spend nearly all of that on the books. So, he would contribute a dollar, I would contribute three dollars, and Mom would pay the extra, plus tax.

This worked out pretty well until the question came up of who should be allowed to read the books first. I claimed that since it was my hobby and I was giving three times more than Rob was, I should have dibs. Mom, not wanting to buy another copy of each book for Rob, agreed with me. It helped that I was a fast reader and would be finished with the book within a few hours of buying it. It took Rob maybe a week to read the whole thing through, but whether that was because he was a slow reader or savoring it was beyond me.

In all other ways, we were normal siblings. He pulled my hair, I pinched him. He hit me, I hit back- usually twice as hard. We fought, on average, seventy-five times a day. Fortunately, we were never in middle school or high school together, so we even went on different buses. Of course, this became a problem when Rob wanted to take the Animorph books to school, while I insisted that they stay at home.

(Mom intervened, and Rob got his way. She pointed out that if other people saw them, we could increase their popularity, and therefore, increase our status.)

With the exception of one of the pages getting a little torn of book 32, the Animorph books survived the trip to school relatively unscathed.

I got some of my friends interested in the books when I was thirteen. Though I would probably be considered a little old for the series, I did manage to capture a few people's interest. Tom, Sandra, and Carol made it until now, when the series is about to end. We all buy our own books, since we use them for discussions and debates. It's actually quite interesting to hear us talk on the bus about the series.

Our main issue was with the Yeerks. I was convinced that they were generally pretty decent and could even be made useful. My friends adopted the Andalite view.

"They're scumbags," Carol insisted one day. "They steal people's bodies and then look into their private thoughts. You have no control. None. And when you finally do, you're stuck in a cage with others and all you can do is scream or cry."

"What about Aftran?" I shot back. "She saved Ax's life, for crying out loud. Without her, Ax wouldn't be alive. If someone is near death and only a Yeerk can save them, how can you see harm in that?"

"But, Amy, most Yeerks aren't like Aftran! And she didn't start off so good in the beginning," Tom pointed out.

I glared at my friends. "Okay. What about Temrash? There were moments when he definitely had, if not empathy, at least some kind of understanding. He didn't taunt Jake all of the time, after all."

"No creature can be cruel _all_ the time," Carol remarked.

"I thought you said that Yeerks were," I contradicted.

Carol thought for a minute. Then, she replied, "Okay. So Yeerks aren't always evil. Explain how come the Peace Movement has so few members."

I rolled my eyes. This was easy. "Just because not every Yeerk is bad doesn't mean that every Yeerk is part of the Peace Movement. That's a dangerous group to be a part of. Look at what almost happened to Aftran—"

"Aftran was interrogated, or almost interrogated, because she insisted on letting her host go free instead of being sensible about the whole thing and letting her host have control. Visser Three probably hates the movement, but it doesn't seem like it would be a capital offense to be part of it," Tom interrupted.

"Remember reading 1984? No real crimes, except there are. Certain things cause punishment, even if it's not explicit. Those are the rules, you have to follow them. Maybe the movement isn't a big enough threat to crush, but people…Yeerks…will do anything they can to stay alive under Visser Three," I pointed out. "You can support something and follow its ideals without necessarily being involved. Also, remember what Illim said? The movement's growing."

"Okay, so even if we accept the possibility that some Yeerks are decent, you still can't deny that they take hosts against their will."

"They have to in order to actually have a life. And some involuntary hosts end up becoming voluntary. Besides, if you're going to have some of the hosts go on to live decent lives after being an involuntary Controller, they're probably going to need a Yeerk at some point during the adjustment period. Not to mention, if you want to save an involuntary host from one of those cruel Yeerks, how else can you do it and save their social life except for putting in a less cruel Yeerk?" I retorted.

"If you're so sure, then find the Yeerks," Tom challenged me. "Find The Sharing. Join it. Become a voluntary host. Then you'll see how it is."

I smirked. "Number one: the books are fiction. Number two: how can I plan to tell you if you're right if I get a nasty Yeerk? And if I do, how do I make sure you guys won't become Controllers?"

Sandra laughed. "We're just teasing you, Amy. You're so gung-ho about it all."

"Well, if I'm right, and if the Yeerks are real, I do want to become a host. Because I think I'm right on this. I really don't believe that all Yeerks are bad."

"Hey, if you can prove it, sign me up, too," Tom laughed. "I could use the help studying in math."

We all grinned, but I knew then that I was going to become a host. Maybe not then and there, since I needed some time to think about it, but eventually.

I waited for awhile before I actually joined the Yeerks. Over two years, to be exact. Partly because I didn't think that they really existed, and the embarrassment of it all being a little too much to bear. Sandra, Carol, Tom, and I stayed friends, but I was definitely the biggest fan of the series. They lost interest around book 40 or so, but I wanted to stick it out to the end.

I knew that the quality was going down, of course. My favorite books had been 19, 29, and 34. They dealt with the more complex issues of control and power. The other books just seemed to be like, "And we did X to hurt the Yeerks and this happened." Or, "This is how the Yeerks tried to beat us and how we succeeded/failed." I was much more interested in the aspect of the human Controllers, and the Yeerks in the Peace Movement. Or even just an average Yeerk. It didn't seem like KAA had that planned, though.

Rob took the side of my friends. He even dressed up as an Andalite one Halloween (I wanted to go as a Yeerk, but couldn't find a costume that looked like it would work). I don't think the neighbors knew what he was, but they liked his stalk eyes.

It was my opinion that Andalites were power hungry jerks who held an opinion of themselves which was much too high. They needed to be taken down more than a few pegs.

Finally, I decided that I was going to find The Sharing. I wouldn't tell anyone, of course. But since the universe was so huge, there must be life on other planets. Who's to say that they weren't visiting us right now, and wouldn't the form of slugs be perfect? Less suspicion from the government, and all of that.

I searched the phone book for _something _resembling the Sharing. I found a few listings, and decided to check them out. I asked about membership. 

One of them said that only adults could become members. And when I say adults, I mean people who are at least fifty years old. So I could count that out. It was probably a bingo agency.

The other one was actually a help center for recovering alcoholics. They explained on the phone that they called it a different name so people going there wouldn't feel as weird about it. I asked if it was only for alcoholics and if it was ever hosted as a club for kids and adults or something along those lines. The lady must have been confused at my question, because she replied that if it had been used as one, it was long before she and the others had bought it. I thanked her and hung up.

I glanced at the last name on the list. 

_Fun for Family and All_. 

The name was unusually long, but I couldn't very well expect the group to be called The Sharing. I checked the address. About fifteen minutes from my house, if I took my bike.

Naturally it would take less time with a car, but I didn't have a license yet, just my permit.

I dialed the number.

"Fun for Family. We would like to help you momentarily." asked a semi cheerful voice. Somewhat mechanical sounding, now that I thought about it.

"Um, yeah, hi."

"Please hold for further assistance. Your call is very important to us, but all lines are currently busy. Please hold, and we will try to find someone to help you shortly," he interrupted, static cutting us off.I realized then that it was a machine.I cleared my throat and tried to relax.A few minutes later, a recording came on again in that semi-friendly voice that's always used."Welcome to Fun for Family, where we specialize in numerous activities and are interested in improving the world. If you want to ask about our next camping schedule, please press one to hear a recording. If you want to talk to one of our managers about an allergy issue for our next cookout, please press two and wait for directions. If you want to know more about us, please press three to hear how we operate. If you want something that has not been listed, please say, 'pound,' and wait for someone to come on the line. Thank you."

A definite machine. I pressed three. Another recording came on.

"We at Fun for Family are interested in creating a safe environment for our children. We want to make the world a better place and improve communication with others. We specialize in peer mediation and offer an excellent baby-sitting service. To join Fun for Family, please go to your nearest Fun for Family and All center on Monday thru Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. To get directions from our various locations, please press 1 for more assistance. Thank you and have a nice day." Click.

I put down the phone. All right, so it wasn't _exactly _what I was looking for, but it was better than nothing. After thinking for a minute (since I hate using the phone), I decided to redial the number and ask some basic questions. Before the machine had finished all of the instructions, I practically shouted, "POUND!" 

"...Thank you. One of our well trained members will assist you shortly." There was some static as the recording ended.

"Fun for Family. How may we be of assistance?" A teenage sounding boy had just come to the line.

He sounded almost as perky as the original machine had.

"Uh, yeah, hi. My name is Amy. I was wondering about Fun for Family," I began awkwardly. 

Did I ever sound like a geek…not to mention it was hard not to add, "I can't tell you my last name or where I'm from…"

"Hello, Amy. What kinds of questions do you have?" he asked kindly. 

"Well, you see, er- I found your name in the phonebook. Um, I'm new here and I was looking for a sort of club to join. The only others I found were for seniors and alcoholics...I mean, recovering ones," I added quickly, wondering why I just said that. _I must sound like a total freak!_ I quickly asked my question. "Is Fun for Family sort of a, um, club for all ages that specializes in. . .well, in improving the world?"

"That's what it's all about, Amy," the boy replied, acting as though he was talking to someone intelligent and not a teenager who couldn't go a whole sentence without saying "um" "uh" or "er" on the phone. "We've been around for a few years, but many people have heard of us. Where do you go to school?"

I gave him the name of my school district, wondering why I had lied about moving here.

"Oh! I know a few people who go there. How old did you say you were?"

"I'm 16. Er, I'm in eleventh grade," I added.

"Yes, there's another person in your grade who's a...a member. Her name is Amanda. You might want to speak with her about it."

I suddenly noticed something that he had said. Maybe this was it! Maybe this was my first stop in the wonderful journey of becoming a host. . .

"You said she's a member? What, does like everyone who joins become members automatically or is it more like, well. . .like just a few people become members?"

He laughed. "Well, now, Amy, after you've gone to a few meetings, you'll be asked if you would like to be a full member. Technically, everyone who goes is a member, but there are people who are full members. Full members are the ones who are in charged. For example, they now belong for free and get certain privileges. Not everyone is always asked to become a full member, because you need to have certain qualities to be one. That's what we look for when we're considering asking you to become a full member."

"Well, it's just that it sounds as though full member doesn't sound _that_ much different from a regular one," I said cautiously. "Is there a big difference?"

_You know, aside from the whole Yeerk deal._

His answer, I noticed with delight, was somewhat guarded. "Well, a full member has some more responsibilities and can be trusted more than a regular member. But everyone can be a regular member at Fun for Family. We want to improve the world and help others, and anyone can do that. If that's what you're interested in, why not come to a meeting and see?"

"When did you say the meetings are?" I asked, scrambling around to get a piece of paper and a pen, knocking over some paper in the process. I reached down to pick it up while frantically writing down the times he told me.

"Meetings are on weekends from 10:00 to 11:00 AM and on weekdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. We meet on Monday and Thursday."

I finished writing it down a minute after he ended. 

"Ok, um, well, thanks. . ." I trailed off, realizing he hadn't told me his name.

He laughed. "I'm Jeff.""Yeah, well thanks again! It sounds cool.""Glad I could help you, Amy. Hope you'll become a member."

"Yeah, same here," I replied, trying to sound noncommittal.

We said goodbye and then hung up. Today was Wednesday. I could go tomorrow.

So, Fun for Family was probably The Sharing. I guessed that the part about full members and normal members had been changed in the books. One thing the TV show had gotten right…

_Well Amy, _I told myself, _Looks like you found the Yeerks.  
_


	2. The Finding

Obviously, I needed my parents' permission to join. They needed to know where I would be going, especially since it would be several times a week. It wouldn't do any good to get grounded after I had become a Controller.

Besides, if Fun for Family was fake, I could still meet some people and do some community service through it.

In any event, it would be best to get everything out in the open right away. Or, at least, what I knew for sure.

I waited until dinner. It was hamburgers with potatoes. Not my first choice…Dad's, in fact. He bought a new grill and wanted to try it out.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Umm hmm?" my mom replied, distracted. She was going over some files for work.

Before I could say anything, my dad immediately jumped in with; "Oh, Rob, could you pass the ketchup? You know how much I hate meat without ketchup; it's all stringy and gross. Did I ever tell you about that time, back when I was young—"

"In the dark ages," Rob interrupted.

Mom glared at him.

Dad went on as though nothing had happened. "—when I was at a friend's house, his mom actually served meat without ketchup one night. . ."

My younger brother graciously spared us the agony of listening to the infamous ketchup story by pretending to have a coughing fit. 

My mom glanced up, startled.

"Rob, sweetie, are you all right?" 

"I'll" cough "be" cough "fine" cough "Mom" cough "I think," he managed to gasp. 

"Amy, love, get your brother a glass of water."

A minute later, Rob was drinking some soda and Dad was reaching for the ketchup. I waited until he drowned his meat in it before continuing. Rob pretended to gag until Mom gave him a stern look. Obviously she had figured out by now that Rob just wanted to avoid the ketchup story. Not that she enjoyed it, but. . ."Amy, hon, what did you want to ask me?" my mom recalled, now sounding much calmer."I found this neat organization today. It's called Fun for Family, when you sort of try to improve the world. I called them about it, and they gave me the information about meetings and stuff. It sounds kind of cool…I was thinking of maybe joining it."

Now my dad looked _really_ excited. "Oh, really, Amy? Golly gee, now _that_ sounds nice. I'm glad you want to join these sort of clubs. You'll be able to make lots of new friends and all," my dad spoke up, smiling. "I remember I used to belong to the boy scouts. Every two months we would have a sleepover and take turns playing tricks on the counselors"

"Well, yeah. Anyway. There's one tomorrow, after school. Is it ok with you guys if I go?"

My dad looked positively thrilled at being called "guy." When he was in school, apparently to be called "guy" meant that you were cool and that now all of the girls would want to date you. Not that my dad admitted to caring about girls- he didn't even date until college. Still, that was one "yes" already . . . I waited anxiously for my mom's response.

"How far away is it, sweetie?"

"It's across the street from our church, walk a block, and then turn right."

Mom nodded. "I know which group you're talking about…I don't see why not, as long as you get your homework done," she finally replied, nodding with approval. "Sounds like fun."

"Sure, kiddo, sounds great. Gee, since it's Fun for _Family_, maybe I could join." He grinned at me and I groaned inwardly.

"Da-ad! They only call it _that _to get members. Mom? Please don't let him ruin my life, okay?"

"The only reason Amy's really going," Rob teased, "is 'cause she has a boyyyfriend! And she's afraid her geeky old dad will male her seem like a nerd in front of him at the campfire by making them put frogs in the counselor's sleeping bag."

"That's _enough_, Rob," snapped my dad, very annoyed this time. 

Ick. Rob had hit a nerve big time. I hid a grin.

"Although come to think of it, that is a good idea…oh, no, dear?" He asked my mom, seeing her give him a look. "Now, Amy, of course you can go, and don't worry, I was only kidding…Anyway, just be sure that you finish your homework on time and don't talk to strangers. Do you need a ride?"

"Da-ad. I have a bike."

"Kids today are very picky about being near their parents in public," Mom translated.

"I still say you have a boyfriend," whispered Rob. 

"You know, kiddo," said my dad, thinking for a minute, now somewhat calmer, "maybe you should try to get Rob to join Fun for Family."

"Maybe."

"Hey! Amy! Yes, you! Over here!" called someone. It was the next day, at lunch. A figure with light blond hair came up to me.

"Hi, Amanda." 

I knew her, vaguely. She was in my math class, and seemed involved in school activities. We never really spoke before, though.

"What's up?"

"Not much, you?"

She shrugged. "Jeff called me yesterday. Said you were interested in joining."

"For Fun for Family?" I asked in a low voice, looking around. It was April right now, colder this year than usual, but there were still some people outside at the tables.

"Yeah." 

"Are you a full member?"

She nodded, pleased with herself for having advanced that far. "I've been going for a few months now. It's great. Everyone loves it."

"Sounds it," I replied, noncommittally.

"Are you going to a meeting soon?" she asked, walking along with me as I went to a table to eat lunch.

"Yeah, I might check it out today. After classes."

She nodded. "I'll be there today. . .but not for that meeting. We have one for full members a couple of times a week. You know, other business and stuff for _full_ members. Maybe you'll become a full member."

We sat down at a wobbly table and opened our lunch bags. 

"So, could you tell me a little more about Fun for Family?" I asked. "Jeff told me some stuff on the phone, but he seemed a little vague."

Amanda twirled her hair a little, thinking.

"Oh, well, gee. . . I mean, there's not _that_ much more to say about it. . . it's really cool. . . we generally just try to improve the world and become better people. Y'know, that sort of thing."

"How's that different from any other organizations?"

"You'll see once you're there."

"When do you find out if they're considering you for a full member?" I asked, taking a bite of my peanut butter sandwich.

Amanda chewed her apple slice and swallowed, calculating for a few minutes.

"Oh, a few weeks. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. But generally you know either way before a month."

"What kinds of qualities do they look for in a to-be member?"

I took a sip from my water bottle.

"You need to…you need to be like someone that can be trusted. Like there's some gang members and stuff that _could_ get chosen and all, but I mean it's not as likely. But then again, more gang members than usual _have_ gotten chosen. . .it really all depends on the person, the circumstances, the whole thing. I mean, it could be anyone."

_It could be you._

"I get it," I replied, nodding for emphasis.

"It's really fun- even at the beginning. But once you're asked to be a full member, it's like…everything changes."

"Hey, have you ever heard of the Animorph books? They're pretty neat," I pretended to change the subject.

I could see a look of fear cross her face for a split second. Her host hadn't taken control; it was the books.

But Amanda recovered quickly, and I acted as though I hadn't noticed.

"Oh yeah, I…those. They're all right."

I nodded. "Not exactly quality literature, are they? Still, they're fun to read."

Amanda nodded. "Yeah, but some take them a little too seriously."


	3. The Meeting

I laughed. Probably a little too loudly, a little too fake.

"Just ask my brother. He won't go near worms, now."

Amanda also laughed, more convincingly than I managed, but still not very well.

"He's also a fan, then?" she questioned.

I nodded. "We share the books. I'm more sympathetic to the Yeerk cause, though. He has this mindset that they're all evil."

"What, you mean they're _not_?" Amanda practically gasped.

"Sure, there's _some_ cruel Yeerks. Just look at the vissers for example."

I saw Amanda raise her eyebrows.

"I'm sure that some of the vissers are _relatively _decent creatures," I added. "But there's others that seem nice. . . Like Illim and the others of the YPF…And from what Aftran said in #19, they don't exactly seem like a minority. And there are other Yeerks…ones that don't really know what they're doing…see it as normal, what you do. I guess, when you think about it that way, there's really three groups of Yeerks- the peace movement, the evil ones, and the ignorant ones. And from how the story is told, well to be honest… KAA is awfully biased against the Yeerks."

Amanda was nodding now. Smiling even. I could see that I was making sense to her. She understood what I had seen from my many rereadings of the books. Encouraged, I continued. "Some of the Controllers are looking at their fate in the wrong way too. I mean, finally most of them, well let's just say the younger ones for now- they don't have to do homework anymore, because that's been taken care of by the Yeerk. Same with studying for tests." I smiled enviously, imaging never having to study for another test. I continued, "Their social life is secure! They might even get a boyfriend or girlfriend in the process, since the Yeerks probably think it can't hurt to have the human hosts become more popular among their kind…

"Besides, I doubt that what's actually going on in the host's mind is all that terrible. I doubt that most Yeerks would really torture their hosts 24/7, unless they were like the vissers. . ." I caught myself, realizing what I had just said. "The ones that the books talk about, I mean. Most might ignore them, but that's probably it."

"Why don't you become a voluntary Controller, then?" Amanda laughed.

I smiled. "If only it was possible…Andalites are far worse. They're the real bad guys. They're the ones who want the Yeerks either dead or blind for the rest of their life. Even if they have Gedds, it's not _that_ much better than being blind. The Andalites are way too full of themselves."

Amanda bit into her apple. "Makes sense. I always thought the Andalites were the bad guys."

"Whenever I try to explain it to someone online, or in person, they start screaming, 'KILL ALL YEERKS!' until I finally just put them on ignore. Or walk away, or nod and smile as though I'm insane, if it's in person."

Amanda snorted. "Or the ever-so-classic response, 'I am an Andalite. I have killed many Yeerks and am currently fighting with the Animorphs.' Right, _sure_. The Andalites wouldn't fight with humans unless they were forced to, and even then just barely. To them, humans are even dumber than the Yeerks."

"They should look in the mirror." I glanced at my watch. "Oh great, class starts in about ten minutes. We need to hurry."

She groaned. "Class stinks."

"Well, I'll see you at the meeting, right?"

"Most definitely."

I couldn't tell if Amanda was a Controller, but at least she was on my side with the books. And she had read them. That was pretty rare to find, at least among people at my high school.

After school ended, I went home on the bus and then got some stuff ready for the meeting. I was both extremely excited and nervous beyond words. I took a few books in case there was some time to read, and homework to do as well. I also took a little money in case we were allowed to get snacks there. I headed out of the door at about 3:30 and got on my bike.

About ten minutes later, I was there. I parked the bike near some others in a parking lot, and began to walk near the labeled building. I opened the door but then realized that I had no idea where the meetings took place. The building looked huge. I saw some kids coming that looked more or less my age. They were probably members. I walked up to them sheepishly.

"Um, hi. Do you know where meetings for Fun for Family take place?" I asked.

A few nodded and one of them spoke. She was tall with short brown hair. She had on huge brown glasses and her face was covered with freckles. She was wearing a pair of baggy pants and one of those blue jean shirts. In other words, she was what everyone would call a geek. She even pushed up her glasses as she spoke.

"Second door on the left on the next floor. Room number nine."

"Is that for all members or just full ones?" I asked before they could turn away.

"The same girl answered, sniffing/snorting as she blew her nose. "All members."

"Thanks."

I turned to walk to the room.

"Hold up." A girl with shoulder length brown hair and pale eyes. "I'm conducting that meeting. I'll walk you there. Name?"

"Amy. You?"

"Jennifer. Okay, guys, you can take off."

The rest of the group scattered. We began to walk.

"We're here," she announced as we turned a corner. She opened the door. A few others were already there, pretty much all ages. "Hey y'all. Welcome to Fun for Family. My name is Jennifer, and I'm going to take charge of this meeting. How are y'all doing?"

_Y'all_?! Was she from Texas or something?

"Fine," they all said more or less enthusiastic. 

"I can't hear you."

"Great, Jennifer!"

"Terrific! Now, let's all go around and introduce ourselves. Except, since you aren't going to remember each other's names, I want y'all to the turn to the person next to you on your right and get to know them."

I turned to a boy next to me with short, brown hair. "Hey…I'm Amy…"

"I'm David. So, how did you find out about Fun for Family?"

"Phone book," I laughed.

"Me too. Have to do community service for school because I busted a blackboard, so…"


	4. The Infestation

A few weeks had passed since I had joined Fun for Family. I decided that the organization was pretty cool. We did some community service and had a few campfires. We even had a sleepover while we had sing-a-longs until 11:00 PM. Of course we didn't actually go to bed then- we then had pillow fights and had a bonfire. We had lights out around 1:00 AM but there was lots of whispering until 2:30. Luckily we weren't expected back until 2:00 on Sunday, the next day. I decided that even if, by some chance, it wasn't a Yeerk front, I would still stay and become a full member, if I was asked.

My dad, though, was worse than having a cavity. Rob kept getting extremely poor grades in school, so after his teacher sent home a note saying that his grade in Math was averaging a D, my dad insisted that I take him to a few meetings.

I was opposed to this. Rob may not be my favorite person in the world, but I definitely didn't want him infested against his will.

I also didn't want him to be in the same group as me. It would be embarrassing, to say the least.

"Just to try it out, Amy? It would be a big help to your mom and me," he had begged me.

Rob had, of course, refused this, but gave no reason except that he heard from "his sources" that Fun for Family wasn't "cool enough"- as though an 11…excuse me, almost 12, year old would have any idea what it meant to be cool. 

I'm talking about someone who starts food fights in the lunchroom and is labeled as a "weirdo" by his grade. My dad threatened Rob that if he didn't "shapen up his act", he would make him join Fun for Family and they would teach him to be a "more respectful citizen of this country."

Since when did my dad start feeling patriotic?

After the lecture, I still don't think Rob knew what half of what Dad was talking about meant.

Sometimes I thought that my dad was a Controller, but I never saw him at meetings. It wasn't something I could very well ask anyone. Besides, being a Controller usually wasn't the sort of thing you noticed.

So it was just my dad being weird. Again.

It was now Thursday afternoon. Jennifer told me that Anna wanted to see me after the meeting, but she implied that it was for a good thing.

My heart started beating faster as I croaked out, "Ok, sure."

I waited for the meeting to start. It was a long one. The hour seemed to last for centuries. All of my doubts came back to me, each one larger than the other.

What if I get a cruel Yeerk? What if it tries to infest my family? Am I a traitor to the human race? etc. I also wondered if the infestation would take place that day, or at the next meeting, or even later. I sort of hoped that it would be soon, but not right away. I mean, I had thought about this for a few years already, so I didn't exactly want to drag it out too much longer. Still, I hoped that I'd have a few days before the infestation.

"Amy? The meeting's finished," Jennifer whispered as she saw me still sitting there while everyone else was getting up. "You feeling okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

Amanda came over. I smiled and waved at her. It was a relief to see a friend there, even if the friend was not human…of course, she might be…

This was starting to give me a headache.

"Hi, girls," Anna greeted us cheerfully, coming in. She turned to me. "This way."

I raised my eyebrows at Amanda. She smiled and mouthed, "A _ritual_," rolling her eyes.

I nodded and Anna led me into a small room. She closed the door behind us.

"Amy, would you like to become a full member of Fun for Family?" Anna asked me.

"Yeah, I think so."

She smiled at me with her teeth, looking somewhat…predatory?

It was impossible to tell if it was my imagination. 

"Well, it's _exactly _easy."

"What do you mean?" 

Did she mean it _was _or wasn't a Yeerk front?

"You see, we are really Yeerks from other planets. We would like to give your body to a Yeerk so that we will be able to continue taking over the world. We hope you don't mind, oh, and have a nice day."

No, of course Anna didn't _really_ say that. She didn't even use the word Yeerk. But I knew by the way she explained it that it was exactly as I had expected. She talked about self sacrifice and giving up parts of myself for a greater part. Stuff like that. I was used to it all and said that sure, no problem.

"We're going somewhere to officially initiate you into Fun for Family," she explained. "It's necessary to have these guards here."

So I had been right. All of this time. Now, there was truly no backing out of it. No escape. I just hoped that my instincts were right on this.

One of them took my hand, rather roughly, and we walked down the hallway. We walked down the narrow stairs and I had to be careful not to trip.

"No need to rush," Anna told me, smiling fakely. "It would be pretty pointless if you killed yourself getting there."

If I was dead, I would be useless as a host.

We were evidently going to the yeerk pool, but I knew it was a different entrance than people normally went because there were no screams.

She took me into a small room with the others. She explained it all to me then as she locked the door. I would need to surrender myself to the Yeerk. I could either be voluntary or involuntary. Either way, I would be infested.

I nodded. "I'll be voluntary."

She sighed with relief and led me to the pool. I guess there were two Yeerks ready; one if I was willing and one if I wasn't.

I kneeled before it and tilted my ear into it when Anna told me to. I guess she somehow knew which Yeerk was supposed to infest me. Who knows how.

The Yeerk started to push its way in. I winced a little as the pain began, but it sprayed some painkiller in a second and I could feel my ear go numb. 

The Yeerk began to crawl into my ear and I slowly lost control. I expected this, but I admit it, I kind of freaked out. Mentally, of course; I couldn't move my body now. There was this alien _slug _that was crawling in my head, and I had no idea if it would be like Aftran or like Visser One.

_Hello_? I asked. By now I couldn't move my body. I couldn't even blink! It was like being paralyzed. I couldn't move at _all._ I hadn't expected this. . .

_Hello, human,_ the Yeerk responded. _My name is Aoroa Two-Eight-Three._

_I'm Amy. Could you call me that, instead of "human"?_

_Very well, Amy._

_It's ok if I call you Aoroa, right? Without the numbers at the end and all?_ I asked, a little nervously, as we got up._Yes, that's fine._

She opened my memories. I mentally swallowed nervously as Aoroa searched through some of them, ignoring some of the worse ones for now. I guess she had to do this, in order to seem like me. But still, I was glad when she was done. 

_You seem to enjoy those books a lot,_ she remarked, obviously talking about the Animorphs series. We were now walking to my bike as she spoke.

I gave a mental nod. Now that this was becoming so real, I was pretty scared of Aoroa.

Yes, me, Yeerk lover Amy. Wonders never cease._I've had another human host who also read the books. She was also voluntary, but not as sympathetic towards the Yeerks. Of course, it doesn't help that the writer is an escaped Controller. One whose Yeerk, we believe, overdosed quite a bit on oatmeal._

She said that last part as an afterthought.

I just gave another mental nod. Thoughts went racing through my mind, but none that I actually directed at the Yeerk.

Of course, it didn't mean she couldn't hear them.

_You're going to have to speak sometime, Amy,_ Aoroa noted. _We are going to be living in the same head for some time._

_I'm just nervous,_ I mumbled. Or what I thought was a mumble. Did all thoughts have the same amount of sound?

_I could see that even if I couldn't read your thoughts._

_Well, it is kind of strange, you have to admit. I waited awhile mostly because I didn't want to be embarrassed if it was all made up._

_I know._ Her tone was soothing, comforting. It calmed me down, a little. Made me less anxious.

By now, she had informed the other Controllers that she was in control, and that I was still voluntary. We walked outside towards my bike.

_Are you a member of the Peace Movement?_

This, in my mind, determined everything.

_Of course. What with has been going on, many have joined the movement solely because they realize how quickly the Yeerks- well, the ones on the visser's side- have been losing power. I've been one for awhile, ever since I got a Hork-Bajir as a host. But all of my other hosts have been voluntary anyway. She had…misled her fans about the size of the movement._

_Among other things._

_Of course._ She laughed. _Do you want control, or would it be easier to talk if I'm in charge while we're riding the bike?_

_I'd like control, please._

_All right._

I felt myself able to move my body again. It was definitely a relief._What else isn't true?_

_Hmm, let's see. The part about Cassie and Karen really did happen, but Aftran was never caught again. That was only done because Applegate didn't have anything else to write about. And Taylor is completely mythical, actually based on Visser Four's second removed cousin who now infests a Gedd. Rumor has it he'll be killed any day now. However, it's true that Visser One was very nasty, and luckily Eva is rid of her.  
_   
_And the Animorphs?_

_They exist. They became members of the Peace Movement when it became obvious that they would need to join it in order to stand a chance at winning. The Andalites were showing no help, so it was only a matter of time. After Jake's brother joined the Peace Movement, Jake saw that it wasn't so terrible. The other Animorphs eventually came to that conclusion and decided to join forces, so to speak._

_How many are in the movement?_

_About two thirds of us. Maybe as much as eighty percent. Usually fairly spread out on the hierarchy…our founder was Visser 8 when the movement started, and now she's Visser 5. Two Council members are in it. They hold Taxxon hosts._

_I wondered about that._

I rode in silence for awhile. When we got home, I could hear my dad's yelling almost before I opened the door.

_Is he usually like this?_ Aoroa questioned.

_Not at all…_

"This is the third detention you've gotten so far this _month_! That is it! You have to join Fun for Family like your sister. See how much you can improve? Amy went from B's to A's since she joined, and you can easily get B's if you work at it. Fun for Family has done nothing but helped you sister. You have two choices, young man. You can either join Fun for Family or be grounded for the next year. And no, I am not kidding for an instant!"

"But, da-ad, I really don't wanna."

"Enough of this, young man. Go to your room."

_Oh great. If there was one thing worse than calling Rob Robert, it was calling him "young man." _Now_ he was in for it._


	5. The Pest

_Oh great. _

Then again, if Aoroa had different plans for him…

_No, _we_ don't take hosts against their will._

She must have been speaking for the movement.

We walked up to my dad. Aoroa spoke for me. "Dad, it's really not going to help Rob _that_ much if he goes to Fun for Family. It's more of a club than anything else. We don't do tutoring."

It was almost scary. She sounded _exactly_ like me. No one, not even myself, would have been able to tell the difference. The same tone, the way she said it, everything. And it wasn't even as though she had looked through my memories yet.

_I have a sense of you from being in your mind, that's all,_ Aoroa assured me.

"Now, Amy," Dad was saying in that infuriating "I know best so shut up" way that parents have, "I've seen people talk about Fun for Family before and it can really help your brother." He turned and glared at Rob, then continued, "For example, Robert… They stress a lot on community service and becoming a better person. Your detention record shows you're lacking in that."

"But I don't _want_ to join!" Rob whined.

"And I don't want _him_ to join!" Aoroa whined for me.

"The discussion is _closed_. I want you to take Rob to your next meeting and make sure he becomes a member. I only want what's best for him, you know."

"I know that," I acknowledged. "But it won't really help. His of attitude lets everyone down. He might not even be asked."

Apparently this didn't bother my dad.

"A donation will settle that. In addition, lunch will be ready in a half hour."

"All right. I'll be in my room," Aoroa informed my father.

"Same here." Rob rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

_Now what?_ I complained as we headed up to my room. _I don't suppose there's a way to join Fun for Family without him being infested? _

_No such luck. The Visser would notice. I could make sure he gets a peaceful Yeerk, though… _she replied as we plopped down on a chair.

_Do you have any _other_ ideas?_Aoroa considered. _I suppose we could, as you humans say, "fake it." Get him to pretend he went to Fun for Family and all…__That's too risky. Are you sure that my dad isn't a Controller?_

_She laughed. I agree with you that he is crazy. However, he is definitely not under Yeerk control. A real Yeerk wouldn't be that obvious, at any rate._

"Amy!" called my dad just then. "It's time for lunch! You too, Rob!"

"I'm coming," we called as we got to our feet.

The next day, after Mass was over, we dragged Rob to the Fun for Family meeting. He complained the entire way there, and fought our dad about it even as he was heading out the door.

"It's not _that_ bad, Rob," Aoroa said, playfully hitting him as he got on his bike. "Who knows? You might actually enjoy it."

He stared at us. "My friend Mike said that Fun for Family was this weird cult. He said that he only went once and it was just as bad as he had expected. Too happy, too perky. So, no thanks, I don't feel like belonging to some brainwashing cult that talks about 'improving our world.'"

It scared me how close to the truth what he said was. . .or could be interpreted.

"Mike?" Aoroa asked curiously. She could already tell that, while the name sounded familiar in my mind, Mike could have been anyone.

"A boy in my grade. And he has older friends 'cause his sister's popular. He says they've become perky after they joined the cult."

"Well, he obviously doesn't know what Fun for Family is really about. But in any case," we added quickly before he could interrupt, defending his idol, "it's Dad, not me, who's making you join."

_You mean "us." _I corrected.

_Naturally, but I couldn't say that,_ Aoroa replied, sounding amused.

"He's not gonna make _me _do anything."

We smirked. "He says you're grounded big time if you don't."

He glared at us and began to push his bike faster. He ended up at the center a minute before us, but we ran and caught up to him.

"Thought you could outrun me?" We asked him, condescendingly.

He said something I won't repeat.

We ignored him and grabbed his hand, dragging him inside.

"Let me go!" he shrieked, panicking. Then he began to scream, "ABUSE!! ABUSE! Stop this woman! HELP!"

A few members turned and smiled, but no one did anything to stop us. Even so, Aoroa put a hand over his mouth.

He bit her.

"If I let go of you will you promise not to escape?"

"Maybe," he growled. We loosened our grip. "Probably not."

We proceeded to drag him into the center. He glared at us the entire time, but didn't say anything else.

We walked into the room and he sat down, looking at everyone stonily.

"Hey, Amy," Jennifer called. "This your brother?"

"Yup. Jennifer, brat. Brat, Jennifer."

Jennifer raised her eyebrows. "Really."

"Well, his given name is Robert, but his friends call him Rob. I call him "brat" when he acts like one. Which is now. Feel free to call him whatever you want."

"You will both be so sorry," Rob snarled. "Mike told me that you're weird, both you," he glared at Jennifer, "and the whole club. He says it's _dangerous_."

"And how would he know, Robby?" asked Jennifer, smiling. "He's not even a member, so how would he know?"

"He says you try to brainwash people into taking over the world."

There was a momentary pause. Someone started to shout, "Yes! It's tr. . " but then their Yeerk took over.

_Host rebellion?_ I questioned, suddenly feeling sick.

_Yes. Her Yeerk is kind enough, but they don't generally get along. Not all human-Yeerk relationships are symbiotic._

_But I thought most Yeerks were in the Peace Movement._

_They are. But they don't always get along. You have the same thing with your friends. Sometimes, they just get on your nerves. Imagine living with one inside your head all the time._

_I see your point,_ I acknowledged. _So, how do we prevent that from happening with us?_

_Only time will tell, Amy._

Meanwhile, the whole room was covering up the tension with snorts of laughter.

"Good one, Rob," Aoroa said, grinning. "We're also aliens. We have three eyes, you see."

Jennifer made a weird alien face. "I am ExTar from the planet Zeebo. I come to destroy earth and all of its inhabitants."

She then proceeded to act between a mix of the cookie monster and a robot. Everyone started to crack up again.

"Mike's a weirdo. Don't listen to him," Jennifer told Rob, acting normal again. "Anyway, the meeting's about to start."We saw a few other members some in. Jennifer glared at them, even though they technically were on time. "Come on, all, sit down. We're going to have a busy meeting today."

We went over some plans about a park project that we were going to do. I pretty much zoned out on most of it. Rob looked _very _bored and glanced at his watch a few times. Finally, it was over. Thank goodness.

"See?" Jennifer told Rob as we were leaving. "That wasn't _so_ terrible."

"Actually, it was. Even if you aren't cultists, you're boring. Who cares about saving a dumb old park?"

He didn't wait for an answer before walking out the door.

Jennifer turned to Aoroa and spoke in a whisper. "You know, your host's brother is such a dork. Is he going to join or not? Because we really need to know soon…"

"His dad is making him. . .His dad isn't one of us, though. To be blunt, I think that giving Amy's father to one of us would be torture in itself."

Jennifer smiled broadly. "One of _those._ My advice is to try to stay away from mothers and fathers. I had one of those a few years ago. Thank goodness I only stayed with her for a few weeks, rumor had it that she died when the bandits first attacked the Yeerk Pool. At any rate, her body was never found. Of course, you remember what happened later when we discovered the books. . .the Visser would promote anyone who found her dead or alive to a sub Visser at the very least. She's caused us a lot of trouble, that Katherine Applegate."


	6. The Conversation

_WHAT?!_

Aoroa seemed amused at my response. _Yes, your friend Jennifer's Yeerk used to infest KAA._ Of course, she actually escaped _after_ book #1_, while they attacked the pool and all, it so happened that they were unable to save her then but then many books later were able to save her, I believe it's around book #17 or so. . .Let me think. . ._

"Aoroa Two-Eight-Three? Have you having trouble with your host?" Jennifer was asking, looking at us worriedly. "Is it trying to rebel?" "I was just talking to her for a second," replied Aoroa, somewhat annoyed at being interrupted. "She was not rebelling, Tariss Eight-One-Seven, only asking me a question," she added quickly.

_So I'm an "It?"_

_It's a common habit among Yeerks…though rather derogatory._

_I've noticed._

"I apologize greatly, Aoroa Two-Eight-Three. . . are you sure that it is not being a greater nuisance than it is worth?" Jennifer's Yeerk narrowed her eyes.

_I'll show you "it"!_ I grumbled. I wouldn't rebel, but Jennifer's Yeerk was starting to grind my nerves.

_Calm down, Amy._

Aoroa made me laugh cruelly. "Of course not, Tariss Eight-One-Seven; she's voluntary."

"Y-yes, V-visser," Tariss stammered._Visser?_

_Yes. Visser._

Jennifer was saying, "Simply try and remember, the Visser will want you present if your host's male sibling is infested. I would not advise making him repeat himself when he is here."

"What are you not telling me, Tariss Eight-One-Seven? The boy will just be another host body, if he decides to join."

"The Visser has reason to believe differently."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"No one really knows. If I were in your position, I wouldn't waste my time trying to decipher the visser's actions. At any rate, he wants the human male as a host quickly."

"Well, we'll see what can be done. Anyway, I have to find my host's brother before he does something stupid."

_Aoroa, you can't…_

_I had no idea about this until Tariss mentioned it. We'll see what can be done, but if he absolutely must be infested, I can assure you it will be with one of the members of our movement._

_Why would the Visser want Rob, though?_

_The Visser has wanted stranger things before, Amy._

We walked out of the room and found him outside of the front door, glaring at the place.

"There you are, Amy! Hurry up, already. This place creeps me out."

"I told you already. Fun for Family is just a harmless club." Aoroa replied wearily.

"I still don't believe you."

We shrugged. "That's just too bad, because Dad is going to have you join it."

Rob stuck his tongue out at her as we walked back to the bikes.

"Real mature, Rob," Aoroa laughed playfully, knowing that he hated not being taken seriously. "I told you, this is Dad's idea, not mine. I personally don't care if you join or not."

Rob then saw an out. "Then quit."

Aoroa smiled angelically. "I don't want to. It's fun."

"Traitor," he retorted, practically spitting the insult.

It hit a little too close to home. Aoroa sucked in her breath and counted to three. Then she replied, saying exactly what I would have said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now shut up and let's go home," we said as we got on our bikes and started the ride.

"When's the next meeting?" he asked a few minutes later. 

"Let me think. . .Monday. But I don't need to go to an actual meeting then. It's different- for full members only. You don't need to go, though."

"Meetings every three days? What are they, the Yeerks?"

"Do you think I, too, am an alien?"

_Dangerous ground, Aoroa._

_Probably better that way._

He looked at me. "You, and Dad."

**Note to reviewers:**

Anonymous-cat: The story is in the state of revision, so it's probably not the best idea to take the non revised chapters at the same level as the revised chapters. Because otherwise, it simply won't fit. I have removed stuff from some of the early chapters but it may still be in the later ones…for now.


	7. The Confrontation

Aoroa hit the break on the bike so abruptly that I was amazed she didn't kill us.

"Stop your bike. Get off. We need to talk," Aoroa commanded and she removed my body from the bike and moved it against a tree.

Rob obeyed.

_Oh, _that's_ real smooth,_ I reprimanded her. _Doesn't give him anything to be skeptical of, now!_

_Point taken,_ was the brisk response.

_Now, what?_

_We tell him the truth. He won't be able to do anything about it. It might even help things in the long run._

_You're crazy. You can't…_

_You're forgetting, Amy, that _I_ am in charge. I most certainly can and there's nothing you can do to stop me,_ she snapped.

I felt cold all over. No. This couldn't be happening. Aoroa couldn't have meant that. She was kind. She was a member of the Peace Movement.

She was also a Visser, though, and vissers generally don't get into high ranks without performing some cruel acts. They probably weren't the kindest to their hosts, either.

What had I gotten myself into?

_Aoroa…_

She took a mental breath. _I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to come out like that. What I mean is, this seems the most sensible plan. It can't hurt him to reaffirm what he knows, and he may end up cooperating._

_He dressed up as an _Andalite_ that Halloween. I don't see how you can think that he'll be, in any sense of the word, voluntary._

_We'll see what happens,_ she soothed._ At any rate, we have to solve this problem in front of us right now. _

_Okay. I hope you're right about this._

"Dad's problem is that he's oblivious. I don't think a Yeerk would be so obvious."

_You didn't say anything about me,_ I pointed out.

_Hold on, Amy. I'm getting to that. Just trust me._

"If he's not a Controller, why does he want to make me join Fun for Family?"

"Haven't you been listening to him at all? He thinks it will improve your grades and your detention standing."

"Why can't I just get involved at school or something like that?"

"Because I'm in Fun for Family, and he probably wants us to be involved in something together. It's probably more about family bonding than anything else, Rob."

"So, you quit and join something else."

"I can't. I don't want to."

"Then Mike was right. If you can't quit, you're a Controller."

It wasn't a question. He sounded hurt, but hopeful. Maybe he thought I had been taken against my will. Maybe he was considering tying me up for three days to starve Aoroa out of me.

_Let me tell him,_ I requested.

_If you think it will help…_

Aoroa withdrew control. It was weird, sort of like slowly going from one dimensional to two dimensional to three dimensional. Even after two days, controlling my own body felt strange.

"I-it's Amy now. Not Aoroa."

"Knew it. And let me guess. Voluntary."

He had a way with words that made me feel ashamed of myself, even though I knew that he was younger than me and had no right to put me in this kind of a position.

"Yes. I'm a voluntary Controller."

"How long?"

"Couple of days." I shrugged.

"Why?" He was disgusted. His eyes narrowed with contempt toward me.

"Because I didn't trust the series. I thought the Yeerks were much kinder than the Animorphs gave them credit for."

His eyes hardened. "How do I know it's really Amy talking about not the Yeerk?"

"It doesn't really matter. The opinion is mutual."

"I don't know that for sure."

"Fine."

_Aoroa? You know what to do._

She sighed and grumbled. _I'll be blind…helpless…_

_You know I won't let anything happen,_ I promised.

She sighed again. _Well, don't leave me like that for _too_ long._Just then, I saw a note on the door of the refrigerator. _Hi guys. Dad and I went to the furniture auction. We'll be back around 8:00, after we eat out. There's money next to this note in case you want to order pizza. Call the number on the back of this paper if there's an emergency. Hugs and kisses, Mom_.

We needed way more than money.

Aoroa disengaged from my ear. I held her in my hands, carefully. Protectively.

"Happy?"

He stared at me. "You're _voluntary_?" he yelped. "For real?"

I sighed. "Would you relax for a second? Look, you've read the books. I've read the books. You know how obsessed I am with Animorphs. Well, I realized that we're not being told the whole story about the Yeerks. Most of them aren't evil."

"Amy. They INFEST and ENSLAVE people AGAINST THEIR WILL!"

"Is it so hard to understand? Yeerks just want to see, hear, communicate, and enjoy life. Really, if you were a slug, would you want to live your life blind? They're parasites, not evil incarnate. Ok, maybe Visser One is, but. . .The point is, a lot of them. . . most of them really. . . don't even know what they're doing. They aren't exactly told, 'Go and destroy the will of sentient creatures.' They really don't even understand that we are intelligent.

"I realized how biased the books were against them. I mean, we rarely hear their side, and when it's told it's pretty biased. Who have we heard from? Vissers. The evil ones. Not Aftran, Illim, or anyone else of the YPF. Not even your average Yeerk. Just the more evil of them.

"I became a Controller because I want the Yeerks to see that not everyone is going to judge them without hearing their opinion. The vast majority are NOT evil. Aoroa is one of them. She doesn't even want to infest you against your will, and that's saying something. And guess who KAA is?"

"Who?" He seemed interested. Or at least willing to hear me out.

"The escaped Controller from book #1. So how can you expect her to tell the real story? She wrote the books to get humans to resist the Yeerks. But the Yeerks aren't all bad! Look at the Andalites. The Andalites are so proud, so conceited, that they might kill us just so that the Yeerks don't get us. And you _know_ that Estrid was planning on doing that.

"'Free or dead.' That's what the free Hork-Bajir say remember? But free to what? The truth, or just what's convenient at a particular time? Rob, you know that some Yeerks aren't evil. So you know that it can't be an instinct they have, or if it is, it can be fought. Aftran turned good. So did Illim. There's others. Aoroa included, though she didn't tell me the details. Yet."

I paused. Rob seemed, if not in agreement with me, at least willing to listen.

He hadn't run away yet, on any account.

"People can't even understand the benefits to becoming a Controller. No homework. No more studying. No more writing papers about symbolism. Social life is secure. And you made a friend. When you look at it that way, does it sound so terrible?"

"I still don't want to be one."

I told you, none of us want you to be forced to become one." _Yet_. "We'll see what happens. Maybe we can fake it. Who knows? But if you do become one, it probably won't be the worst thing in the world. Aoroa…my Yeerk…says that she'll find a member of the Peace Movement. So you'll get control, and privacy."

"I still want to avoid it." 

"Figures. Now, I'm going to put Aoroa back."

Rob turned away, looking totally grossed out.

I took Aoroa out and put her to my ear.

_Did it work?_ Aoroa asked me once she was connected. Very nervously.

_More or less. You can see in it in my memories later._

_All right. I need to speak to Rob, now._

_Go ahead. _

"Rob? It's me, Aoroa. Listen, for reasons we don't know, we're pretty sure that the visser wants to infest you with one of his men. I'm not sure why. No one is. But now that you know, we can't have you running around Yeerkless."

"I won't. You can't make me!"

"I have very little choice in the matter."

"You can't! I won't let you!"

"Look, Rob, you're either going to be infested voluntarily with a member of our movement, or involuntary and probably with a member from the Visser's squad. If you come quietly, then we can work things out."

"The Visser's in on it?" He sounded incredulous.

"Yes. We're not sure why he wants you as a host, but he does. So, we have to put up the appearance of infestation, and kill whichever Yeerk he has planned for you."

"If you hadn't joined…"

"Then you would have been taken against your will and we'd have little to no chance of saving you. Don't you get it? It's not about me, or about Dad. What Visser Three wants, he'll get. The rest is just details."

We retrieved out bikes and rode the rest of the way in silence.

Amanda called later. 

"Hello?" Aoroa asked.

"Hey. It's Amanda. Is this Amy?"

"Yes."

"Come over to my house, and quick. I'll be waiting outside for you."

"Why?"

"Be there in ten minutes." Pause. "Page one hundred and six, problems seven to twenty-five. Got it, Amy. Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Click.


	8. The Yeerk Pool

Our hands shook slightly as we hung up the phone.

"Rob?" Aoroa called, tentative.

"What, Yeerk?"

"I have a name, Rob." Pause. Aoroa sighed. "Amanda just called. She wants me to come over. I'll be back in an hour or so."

_Smart move, not mentioning that Amanda's one of us,_ I complimented.

_Thanks. Now, let's get going._

_How do we explain the fact that he's not coming with us?_ I questioned.

_I'm a visser; she's not,_ Aoroa reminded me._ I'll say that I want to know what's going on, first._

We found my bike that I had parked near the mailbox less than an hour ago. We got on it and started the ride. Aoroa knew, from my mind, that I had remembered where Amanda's house was. It only took fifteen minutes to get there.

_Are you ready?_ Aoroa asked me.

_Not exactly._

_Yeah, I could use some more time, too._

I knocked on the door.

Nothing.

I rang the doorbell. Twice.

A lady came to the door. She was about my mom's age- sort of old. Gray hair, or at least highlights. Hers was shoulder length, though. The rest of it was light brown. A few wrinkles.

"Wipe your shoes on the mat. I just finished cleaning the house."

We did as we were told.

"Amanda! Your girlfriend's here," she called. Then turned to me. "Second door on the right, straight on upstairs."

As soon as we got there, Amanda put her fingers over her lips.

"We're going outside for a little, Mom."

"It's awfully dreary weather for a walk."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "We'll take raincoats."

She grabbed a couple from her room, and we head to her back yard.

"Okay. What's up?"

"The visser wants your host's brother," she told me quickly, staring at me straight in the eyes with difficulty. "He wants to give his body to a relatively high Yeerk. Apparently he has some special genetic ability that will let us win the war. So, you know what to do."

Aoroa shook my head. "He won't go willingly."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite. He's still not entirely convinced that I'm not evil incarnate. And we don't have a lot of time, I'm guessing?"

"He wants the infestation to occur next Saturday. We have until before then."

"Well, the Animorphs ended up joining us, after all…"

_They went willingly? But…but some of them would never agree to that!_

_Rachel was one of them. She killed herself rather than be infested. It took the others awhile as well. Cassie, of course, was the first to agree. But Marco and Jake were much harder, what with what happened to their families and all…Ax also murdered himself when we explained it to them, you know how Andalites are with their stupid pride, but Tobias eventually agreed. They're quite happy with their decisions._

_Their families?_

_Peace Movement members. Also content._

_How…?_

_Their luck was over. The visser had caught them. But he handed them to who he thought was a 'trusted' visser of his- Visser Five, whose Yeerk name is Tarash Five-One-Four. A member of our movement. He entrusted them to her to infest, and she of course gave them all members of the movement. She gave whoever would rather be dead than this fate a dracon beam to kill themselves with. Ax used his tail. Things went well since then. The visser still doesn't know that the Animorphs were infested with members of the YPF and of course we know not to tell him. Our movement has grown a lot, and many who joined were sub-vissers and vissers. It has made things much simpler for us as well. The visser knows that the Animorphs are human, but that hasn't changed much…well, except for him looking even more stupid than before._

"He's not an Animorph," Aoroa reminded.

"I'm aware of that." She took a deep breath. "Amanda wants to speak with your host."

Her face became a little less pink with fury as Amanda gained control. "Hi."

I smiled back at her.

"So. What are we going to do about my brother from hell?" I asked.

She shrugged. "The only thing we can do. Infest him. Not my first choice, naturally. But if we don't, the Visser will."

"Not the best option, you know. And this wasn't what I was counting on when I agreed to become a host."

"Me neither…But we need to remember. . .most of the Yeerks are either members of the YPF, or are decent towards their hosts. We just need to make sure Visser Five gets to him before Visser One does."

I nodded. There wasn't a whole lot that I _could_ say.

We were silent for awhile. I hated the idea of taking Rob against his will, but it seemed like there was no way to avoid his infestation. It was actually me becoming a Controller that would make it more bearable for him.

At least, that's what I told myself.

Aoroa and Amanda's Yeerk talked for awhile about some strategic stuff, and then we left.

The next day, Aoroa and I went to the mall so that she could regenerate. Rob would be taken on Thursday. Just three days away.

_You'll be taken to the voluntary area, _Aoroa reminded me._ Amanda will also be there, as her Yeerk's feeding schedule is the same as mine. You two can talk, if you so desire._

_Okay._

_The Hork-Bajir will be told by me that you're voluntary. They'll tell you where to go. When it's time to get reinfested, you'll hear your name being called and you'll go. The whole thing should take a few hours._

_Okay._

Aoroa laughed. _If you forget anything, just ask. Remember, you're voluntary. They're only…less than kind…to the ones that resist._

_Okay._

_Is that all you can say?_

_Okay._

Aoroa sighed.

We got in line. It was a long one. Most of the hosts there were humans, but there were a few Hork-Bajir. Pretty much every human was willing. Even those that weren't in the voluntary area didn't exactly put up a fight. I knew that it wasn't because they had given up.

Soon, it was our turn.

"Aoroa Two-Eight-Three, ranked Visser Twenty-Four is reporting," Aoroa identified herself. She then added; "I control the human host Amy, code seven-A. Voluntary."

The Hork-Bajir nodded and grunted.

"Yes, Visser," said one.

And with that she lowered us above the water and dropped into the pool. I stood up. I turned to the Hork-Bajir. They willingly pointed me in the right direction. Towards voluntary hosts, the Hork-Bajir guards actually seemed quite polite.

I head towards a small area isolated from the rest of the pool. Even though I could hear some screams from the infestation pier, they were inaudible by the time I reached the voluntary area.

It was a pretty nice place. There was a TV in the corner that a few people were watching. It wasn't exactly a wide screen one, but, then again, it also wasn't some piece of junk from the 60's where you had to adjust the color on the knob.

I could see a few vending machines, one that sold stuff like potato chips, one that sold candy and gum, and the last one that had soda. The prices were pretty decent for once. I guess Yeerks don't believe in overcharging each other.

What was nice was that there was some furniture for us to lounge on. Two couches were in a far corner of the voluntary area, and I could tell that they were the kind that you could easily take a nap on. There were a few scattered chairs, especially near the TV, and some tables. More than a few of the Controllers were using some of these tables as work areas.

I guess that voluntary hosts were allowed to carry things like book bags, despite the fact that they could be considered dangerous. I know from experience with Rob, you do _not_ want a twenty plus pound bag to be thrown at you.

I grabbed a seat one of the surprisingly empty couches. I hadn't thought to bring work, so I just stared off into space for a little.

"New here?"

I jumped. While I had been daydreaming, another girl had taken a seat across from me. She looked about eighteen or so, but I had never been good at guessing ages.

"It's my first time, so yeah," I replied.

"My name's Jamie. Her name is Astran five-seven-six. You?"

"Amy. Aoroa something. Don't have her numbers memorized. She's a Visser, though."

"Ohh. Her. She's decent. That girl over there" she pointed to a small child reading a picture book "had her before you. They got along."

I raised my eyebrows. "Seems kind of young."

"She's eight."

"She must have been scared."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Everyone is, at first, but you get used to it. It helps if your Yeerk is decent, but even if they aren't, you survive. There aren't a whole lot of torturers around that aren't high ranking."

"Been a host for awhile?"

"Only two years. Three Yeerks. I'm still sane. So are they."

I smiled. "No mental torture? Replaying of bad memories?"

Jamie frowned. "I think it's just the high up Yeerks who do that. Mostly, Yeerks just want the host to either befriend them or cooperate with them."

"I can see why."

Amanda entered the room and flopped down on a couch. "Hi, Amy. Jamie."

"Hi," we replied.

"What are you talking about?"

"The usual. Amanda how _did_ you join Fun For Family?" Jamie questioned.

"Same as you. Read the books and knew that KAA was a liar."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "This insignificant, manipulative pieces of trash…"

Amanda laughed. "Her contract ends at book #54. It's required to read them, you know, to look for patterns and stuff. We haven't had much luck with it."

"I think that's my brother's job. Rob."

"Rob? Yeah. Visser One wants to use him so that they can manipulate the patterns and declare universal victory. The Peace Movement wants him so that he can read the patterns and apply them to the movement."


End file.
